I don’t know exactly what she wants because she has changed her mind since she started submitting apps. She wanted cold weather and more rural. Now she has reservations about cold weather and wants things to do nearby.
She first talked about math. Then it became environmental science in time for apps. Now she’s leaning toward marine biology. So I think she needs to be somewhere that she can have options after enrolling.
Right now she has acceptances in environmental science, environmental studies, one math acceptance and one anthropology acceptance. (The anthropology professor she spoke with at an open house impressed her.)
I think she also would do better in a smaller, more nurturing place but somewhere that she won’t get bored. And she likes the outdoors.
She has three options that are about $24K (Rowan, Stockton, Mount St. Mary’s) and a few in the $28K range (Susquehanna, Etown, Evansville, Hope, Maine, Ursinus) There are some more expensive than that (Roanoke, St. Mary’s of Maryland, Lynn and probably LSU.)
She thinks Susquehanna and Mount St. Mary’s are too remote, but their costs are the best of the private colleges.
She is waiting on SUNY ESF. I think she would get the small school benefits there with the fun of SU next door. It’s not too far from home. The only problem is that they primarily offer sciences so if sciences don’t work out for her, she’d probably have to transfer.